I am all in favour of organ donation. I can think of nothing better
than someone seeing with my eyes or regaining a full life with one of my
other organs. But I shrink from Sir Liam Donaldson's suggestion
that organ donation should become automatic and subject to an opt-out
instead of an opt-in. Organs must be removed immediately if they are to
be of use. For a team to intrude into a room where a widow is still
holding the hand of a dead husband or a parent clutching a dead child
would be ghastly... even worse to intrude beforehand, once a patient was
deemed brain- dead... unless that widow, that parent had agreed, ahead
of the eventuality of death. I could only support such a scheme if every
person in the country, or their representative, is given a form to study
and sign yes or no. If a form was not returned it should be regarded as
a No. It should also carry the agreeing signature of next of kin so we
can be sure that the matter has been discussed well in advance. Sign up
now as a gesture of love. Don't wait for authority to pre-empt your
right to choose.

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